No sooner had we unpacked from the excellent Trails, Tales and Tunes Festival in Norris Point (if you haven't been be sure to take this event in next year) than we downloaded the schedule for the next spring festival in Western Newfoundland. This one is in the Southwest corner of the province (from Stephenville to the Port aux Basques area) and as the name suggests deals with birds and folk music. This area is a prime birding location and this time of year birds are either migrating through the area or arriving for the breeding season. We listened to the fine traditional music of the Benoit Family at the Holiday Inn in Stephenville and then the next day did a walk on the a section of the International Appalachian Trail which started at Noel's Pond. The music event was Saturday (May 28) evening and Emile's Pub (at the Stephenville Holiday Inn) was jammed with people to hear the relatives of the famous fiddler Emile Benoit (for whom the pub is named) play their music. The small dance floor was hopping and the crowd made them play well past their normal finishing time. The last Saturday in the month is folk night at Emile's Pub so you don't have to wait until next year so hear traditional music from some of the fine musicians in this area. The Bay St. George Folk Arts Council has done a fine job promoting the development of traditional music and I plan to take in one of 
their "learn to play sessions this week" (see the www.springfest.ca web site for details). We spent the night at the comfortable Wood'n Bed and Breakfast (a very pleasant place to stay in the area) and then went hiking the next day. We joined 16 others for a hike starting at Noel's Pond. The weather was abit damp but we did see a some birds and the trail gives good views of the surrounding area from several viewpoints. This a fairly wet trail so if you plan to do this trail on your own it is wise to bring water proof hiking boots. My web site at: http://www2.swgc.mun.ca/~knicol/NLhiking.htm has more details of coordinates of the trail head and a video of the trail. For more information on the Feather and Folk Nature Festival see www.springfest.ca.
Keith and Heather, so glad you were able to join us for our May 28 Folk Night. It was certainly one of the highlights of the Feather and Folk Festival! The Bay St. George Folk Arts Council was pleased to be involved with coordinating musical entertainment for this 2011 Springfest event. Thanks for the great photos and video - they truly capture the spirit of the music and the connection the musicians have with their appreciative audience. The promotion of traditional music and local culture is what our group is all about.
ReplyDeleteAll the best in your travels, and come back to visit anytime!!
Lisa Alexander
BSGFAC